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The Pokemon franchise has now been around for nearly three decades and, in that time, has become the most profitable franchise in the world. A cornerstone of the franchise is the thing that started it all: its video games. To this day, there have been dozens of main series Pokemon titles and an even larger number of spin-off games, making it much harder to keep track.
While the franchise has had highs and lows, a few games have risen to the top as the undisputed champions. These games presented major innovations, perfected fan-loved features, or are just wonderfully unique in some way that makes them a treat to revisit even today.
10. Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Legends: Arceus hasn’t had quite the amount of time that the other entries on this list have had to age and be appreciated by the fans, but it’s still made quite a large impact, considering its recent release date. Many called this the Pokemon game they’d been dreaming of, with an immersive open world and the ability to catch and battle the creatures of Hisui seamlessly stitched together in the environment. If a future Legends game can fix some of this game’s shortcomings, it will almost certainly land higher on a future iteration of this list.
9. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
The Pokemon Ranger series tends to be somewhat overlooked nowadays as a solid series from the franchise’s history despite seeing solid success during its heyday. Shadows of Almia is generally agreed as the best title in what is currently (but hopefully not always) a trilogy, improving on many of the mechanics of the original while crafting a story with an amount of heart tragically missing from recent main series games.
8. Pokemon Conquest
Pokemon Conquest is tragically one of the most overlooked hidden-gem side games ever to hit the franchise. The game creates a perfect space for Pokemon to fit into the complex world of tactical RPGs and thrives in its flexibility and exciting approach to the genre. Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have a terrible habit of abandoning fan-favorite spin-off series, but this title must be revisited at some point in the future.
7. Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are optimal options for experiencing the original 1996 classic titles that began this legendary franchise. There’s not much more to say about these games other than the fact that they’re the traditional Kanto experience updated with some of the more familiar features and updates of the third-gen, which can still feel somewhat dated at times when replaying today, likely why certain fan games have sought to add even more updates, but is overall still a great time.
6. Pokemon Stadium 2
Nowadays, it seems as though Pokemon Showdown is effectively discouraging Game Freak from dipping back into the battle simulator scene. In the days of the N64, though, Pokemon Stadium 2 was the best way to have an engaging battle. Its variety of Pokemon and moves combined with unmatched 3D visuals at an unprecedented time for the series make this still one of the best ways to have a Pokemon battle.
5. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
Despite being among the lowest-selling main series entries, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 offers one of the best main-series experiences. It buffs out some of the rough edges from the first main series games of Gen 5 while diversifying the Pokemon pool and expanding the Unova region to be one of the largest the series has ever seen.
4. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series is one of the most beloved outside of the main series of games in the franchise. It can be difficult for some to pick one Mystery Dungeon game over the other as a favorite. Still, Explorers of Sky tends to be a crowd favorite for streamlining many of the series’ features while containing a touching story and an abundance of playable Pokemon.
3. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
Before the main series jumped to 3D, there was only the Pokemon Colosseum/Pokemon XD series for gamers interested in a Pokemon RPG in the third dimension. Some would say that Game Freak/The Pokemon Company has yet to pass the highs they saw with those classic Gamecube games. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness pairs a surprisingly potent narrative with surprisingly capable visuals for the era and the enthralling Shadow Pokemon system that set apart this game and its predecessor.
2. Pokemon Platinum
Pokemon Platinum builds on the already impressive base Gen 4 games with smoother gameplay, additional story content, and the return of the Battle Frontier, making this one of the best main series Pokemon games. The fact that the lack of the Distortion World dungeon in the recent Gen 4 remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl was one of the most significant controversies of those titles faced indicates how solid the additional content in Pokemon Platinum truly is.
1. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Regarding main series Pokemon games, few are raved about more than HeartGold and SoulSilver. Game Freak went above and beyond with these entries to not only remake the classic Gen 2 games but build upon them in a way that no other Pokemon titles have seen before or since. Pokemon following the trainer, many post-game content, and all-around improvements over Gold and Silver make this one of the best Pokemon experiences ever crafted.
